"In our view, there appears to be no justification for such action by the Russian authorities that substantially disrupts trade. In this respect, we look forward to the Russian authorities immediately lifting such unjustified restrictions," the EC mission in Lithuania told BNS.
The mission said that the European Commission received the letter sent by Lithuania's Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius earlier on Tuesday in connection to the customs restrictions applied by Russia on Lithuanian goods.
"The commission will keep a close eye on the situation and will take necessary actions to help countries under unjustified pressure," the mission said.
Earlier on Tuesday, the foreign minister turned to European Union institutions over thorough Russian customs checks of Lithuanian goods. The letter was sent to the EU's High Commissioner for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, European Commission's Vice-President Siim Kallas, EC members Algirdas Šemeta, Karel de Gucht, and Stefan Fule.
In the letter, Linkevičius informs the EU institutions that, on September 11, the Russian Federation's customs started a thorough check procedure for freight and carriers from Lithuania, which significantly affects mutual trade and transport system. The attention of the EC was also drawn to the fact that passenger vehicles registered in Lithuania had been undergoing a thorough check procedure at the Lithuanian-Russian state border since August 30. Because of these procedures, the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry was forced to recommend that the citizens of Lithuania refrain from unnecessary travel to the Russian Kaliningrad region.
“These discriminatory measures are not justified and have a negative effect on the competitiveness of the transport sector and trading system of both Lithuania and the European Union,” the minister wrote in his letter. “Upon its accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), Russia has made a legally binding commitment to refrain from taking actions which are not compatible with the WTO Agreement; however, Russia’s current actions show the opposite.”
